Scottish Government considers Borders Railway extension

TRANSPORT Scotland has commissioned a study to examine the case for extending the Borders Railway beyond Tweedbank to Hawick, and possibly Carlisle.

A six-car Class 158 formation is led by set No. 158727 past Cowbraehill between Gorebridge and Stow on the first day of Borders Railway service, September 6, 2015. CHRIS MILNER

The seven-month long study by Jacobs UK will consider various options for improving links from the Scottish Borders to Edinburgh, Carlisle and Newcastle.

Holyrood Transport minister Humza Yousaf said: “In the Scottish Government’s Programme for Government a commitment was given to examine the case for an extension of the Borders Railway along with improvements to the A1, A7 and A68.

“Working with partners in Scottish Borders Council and SEStran, Transport Scotland will identify a range of options for improving transport that can be considered as part of the review of the Strategic Transport Projects, which will look at future infrastructure projects for the whole of Scotland. These options could include new rail services, improvements to existing road infrastructure and improved public transport provision.”

The railway between Newcraighall and Tweedbank reopened in September 2015, and at times has been a victim of its own success with overcrowded trains, poor timekeeping and the limitations of the new infrastructure affecting reliability and punctuality.

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